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January 29, 2014

Dry & Barren Land....

[Barren Land, 2013, JA Van Devender]

Psalm 68:6

....the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

Judging from the news reports there were no surprises last night. In the President's State of the Union he declared that "wars and rumors of wars" will continue, that there are no prospects for cooperation amongst our elected leaders, and since all things will remain fixed in ideological divide, he will stubbornly attempt to do what he can get away with under the real or imagined latitude that he claims is his in "executive privilege".

In reading the reports of his remarks I was saddened by his continued attempts to reframe perceptions about recent world events. A man who has continually diminished our military options claimed that it was "American diplomacy backed by the threat of force" which forced Syria to give up its chemical weapons. This is astonishing chutzpah and blatant misdirection, if we simply remember the "lines drawn in the sand" that were repeatedly crossed with no visible repercussions at all. As Russia and China rattled their sabers and made it clear that they would not sit by if we put boots on the ground, he simply retreated into silence. As was well understood by the Syrian regime, the rebels fighting against it, and every other observing power, this president would not resort to military force in the Syrian situation. He didn't do it in Libya when our own people died and he had no intention of doing it there. There was no credible threat of force behind American diplomacy. The void was filled by Putin and Russia lays claim, legitimately, to the 'glory' of destroyed chemical weapons. A similar analysis would apply to his other claim about Iran's alleged concessions at the negotiating table. Iran is now the major player in the mid-East. That is the net effect that has culminated after ten years of warfare, billions in treasure and thousands of lives were simply written off. There is no honor to be found in his administration's handling of the Iranian situation.

That all being said, it is the accentuated policy of executive privilege that is my greatest concern. Once it becomes engrained, through precedent, that fiat power is at the president's disposal, then it is not a very great step to reduce the other branches to irrelevance. This is exactly what happened in the Roman empire when the first Caesars essentially arrogated to themselves the power of fiat (imperial) decree. Whether we agree with what this president does with this power or not, his emphasized policy in doing so should be roundly rejected, out of hand, by each of the other branches of government and every bureaucrat in government should disobey the orders as they come down.

This position, taken by this president, constitutes a major shift in the practice of government in this country. It is not the number of instances in which he has invoked this authority that is at issue. I know that other presidents have used it, perhaps more often. The difference is entirely that of what constraints are imposed on the power. Previous presidents have exercised this authority within a very narrow and generally constitutional mandate. Those constraints are what this president is proposing to cast aside. That is, or should be, a very scary thought.

I look at the political landscape and it appears barren of any immediate prospect of refreshment. This president is desperate to close out his presidency with something other than a "failed" adjective in front of it. That is a scary thought because desperate men will resort to desperate measures.